Riders shield mourners from protesters

March 23, 2011

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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A Patriot Guard Rider wipes away tears at the funeral of Army Cpl. Chad Young, 25, of Rochester, Ill., who was killed in Afghanistan. The Patriot Guard Riders are a motorcycle club that attends the funerals of members of the Armed Forces at the invitation of the deceased's family. SETH PERLMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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A motorcycle rider from the Patriot Guard Riders shows support for Cpl. Jordan Stanton and his family earlier in March. More than 100 riders escorted Stanton to the O'Connor Mortuary in Laguna Hills. SEAN LARA, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Westboro Baptist Church member Jacob Phelps, of Topeka, Kan., holds signs at the Supreme Court in Washington in October, 2010. The court ruled that the members of the church had a right to protest no matter how offensive their message. The case pitted Albert Snyder of York, Pa.'s right to grieve privately for his son against the church members' right to free speech. CAROLYN KASTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Patriot Guard Rider wipes away tears at the funeral of Army Cpl. Chad Young, 25, of Rochester, Ill., who was killed in Afghanistan. The Patriot Guard Riders are a motorcycle club that attends the funerals of members of the Armed Forces at the invitation of the deceased's family.SETH PERLMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that members of the Westboro Baptist Church can continue protesting at military funerals. Their hateful signs ("God sent the IEDs," "Thank God for Maimed Soldiers") are protected by the First Amendment.

There is a correlation between soldiers killed in action and the church's anti-gay message, apparently, but my noggin isn't sufficiently warped to connect the dots.

The greatest side effect to emerge from this group's idiocy is the Patriot Guard Riders. In 2005, American Legion Riders in Kansas organized the guard riders to counteract the Topeka-based protestors. Today, Patriot Guard Riders is a national organization that boasts more than 220,000 members.

While the group's primary mission is to honor fallen service members and first responders, they also assist with welcome homes and send-offs, support Help on the Homefront charities, and serve at funerals of veterans of previous wars.

The Westboro church is now merely an afterthought for the riders, a gnat that must be swatted away every so often. Rich Biddlecome, a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker in Pleasanton, is a Vietnam veteran and riders' California state captain.

Biddlecome's take on the recent Supreme Court ruling? "Thanks to the Westboro Baptist Church, we picked up 10,000 new members since the ruling."

The group attends funerals only when invited by an immediate family member of the deceased. Riders escort the hearse, two flag bikes in front and two behind.

"The flag leads soldiers into battle and brings them home," Biddlecome says. In March, the group's members were among more than 400 riders at a funeral in South Carolina for Senior Airman Nick Alden, killed by a terrorist in a bus at a German airport.

The experience never gets any easier, Biddlecome says.

"I'll never forget my first funeral." Biddlecome watched as an American flag was carefully folded and handed to the soldier's young son. Witnessing a moment like that, he says, "is all the more reason to go to the next one." Since then, Biddlecome follows a self-imposed rule: "I never stand where I can see the family. But I'm still there. It's an honor to be there."

What does it take to be a member of the riders? "You don't have to be a veteran or own a motorcycle, just bring a 3x5 flag or pole and show honor," Biddlecome says. To sign-up or see where support is needed, go to www.patriotguard.org.

Should protestors rear their ugly heads – an extremely rare occurrence -- the Patriot Guard Riders respond with quiet dignity. "We turn our backs to them and form a flag line," he says.

A human shield formed by veteran-biker-patriots holding American flags.

Could a better response exist?

I know what you're thinking: The bikers could mop the floor with those protestors. Therein lies the real beauty of the Patriot Guard Riders. It's not about them, and it's not about the protestors. It's about respecting the sacrifice of the fallen and those who mourn for them, and group does so with honor.

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